The Iliad: A New Translation by Caroline Alexander

One of the most ancient stories in the world, The Iliad as recounted by Homer is an epic in the truest sense of the word. It is a story that has been told, and retold, for thousands of years. Dozens, possibly hundreds, have tried their hand and tested their skill at translating the poem from its original Greek over the years. I was a teenager when I first read Fagle's classic translation, often considered the modern standard for the tale. It is hard not to get swept away by the grandeur and the scale of it, the tragedy of men and gods."Wrath--sing, goddess, of the ruinous wrath of Peleus' son Achilles..."So begins the poem as translated and retold by Caroline Alexander. Here, after millennia, Alexander is not choosing to reinvent the wheel but refine it, and she does so remarkably. She seems to have found a way to streamline the rhythm of the poem, shaping and refining its cadence. Modern readers are wont to remember The Iliad was originally intended to be an oral story, spoken aloud, and I implore readers to try it as they make their way through. It's truly remarkable, the way it almost seems to flow and carry itself forward. Inflection and emotion come alive in that way and, for a moment, one could easily find themselves swept away by the tale of gods and heroes. It's a wondrous experience for those who might be experiencing The Iliad for the first time, as well as those--like myself--who have read it a few times, by a few different translators.In sum, Caroline Alexander has done a remarkable thing and made the ancient new. The Iliad is, and always has been, a living story but in this new edition it feels reinvigorated and exciting and fresh. I absolutely cannot recommend it enough.

I bought the Kindle and the Audible edition. And found both wonderful. Caroline Alexander translated the Greek text that sounds like a song - or was a song - into an English that sounds like an oral narration. The translation is clear and serene and compares supreme to other translations most of whom are - for what purpose ever - full of quirks and flourishes and become tedious after the third page. I had the feel to be very close to the wording and the meaning of the Greek text and the intention of its author, Homer.As brilliant as the translation is the Audible edition. Dominic Keating is the narrator. He has a pleasant voice. He reads as serene as the text is. He renounces to play his own personality. He just lends his voice to Homer to let him tell his Iliad in English. And he (Homer) lets about half the time his heroes talk in their own voices: Achilles, Hektor, Ajax (major), Agamemnon, Menelaos, and many others.Men and women who have lived (or are said to have lived) three thousand years ago become living souls and flesh again. They are in the tenth and last year of the Trojan War, a war between the Greeks and the Trojans outside the walls of the town Troy near the place where today's Turkey's biggest city is, Istanbul Many men slaughter many men. The reasons are not fully clear. The Greeks came to get the Spartan queen Helen back, which the Trojan prince Paris has abducted and made his mistress. Unclear is why a single woman is worth a war or even a ten year war. The Trojans fight for their lives, because they know that in defeat all the men would be killed and the women and children would be enslaved (and so they will be at the end). Unclear is why the Trojans do not hand the abducted Spartan queen Helen back to the Greeks; this is all the more a riddle as the queen is fed up with her lover and the Trojans. But the war has gained a life of his own, and the gods have taken actives roles in it. The warriors, Greeks and Trojans alike, see no other way than to battle on till one or the other side perishes.

I'm familiar with the Fagles, Lattimore, and Fitzgerald translations. Caroline Alexander's is by far my favorite. It is fundamentally very literal but at the same time energetic, colorful, and fresh. Closest you'll get to Homer in English in my humble opinion.I prefer translations that do not take too many liberties, as Fagles very much does. However, I prefer this translation even to Lattimore's, which is also literal. Alexander often brings out subtleties of meaning and expressiveness where Lattimore sometimes could do better. And it is more lively. The format of the text is also quite nice too, allowing you to focus clearly on and appreciate the deep beauty of every single line. I will use Alexander's translation from now on whenever I teach Iliad.

I think choosing the translation that makes you want to read it is the most important. So don’t get too caught up in choosing the “right” one.I am no expert and am only comparing this to the Fagles translation, but the Fagles translation packs a bit more rawness and “punch” with the war sections sometimes. But Caroline’s does have a nice flow and sometimes has a clearer description of what’s happening in some situations, which can make readers not have to go back a few lines to decipher something that didn’t quite make sense immediately. Either way, read some samples and choose the one you like, if you finish you’ll probably end up wanting to read another translation too. I like having one translation on my Kindle or phone and another paperback translation and will compare parts sometimes.

Llegó roto y doblado

This book was definitely not what I was expecting. I was expecting a glorification of war in an epic poem, however, this book is very much not a glorification of war but rather shows it to be pointless and cause immense amounts of suffering for both sides, with neither side being seen as more worthy. The events of the book are told in prophesy before they happen but that doesn't make how the events unfurl any less interesting. The verse makes the story flow, although occasionally there are some bizarre sentences. There's definitely a reason this story has lasted this long, it truly is an epic poem.

It's a classic we all know about but the translation is easy to read.

I'd been put off reading the iliad for years on account of an unnecessarily conflated translation that had been hanging around the fmaily library. You'll have no such problems with Alexander's translation, her work is acessible while retaining the epic feel of the poem. Her introduction and further reading suggestions are also incredibly informative for those looking to dig deeper into the content.

thanks